- The Sydney Dance Company has released its 2026 calendar.
- The program is split into two seasons, featuring new and upcoming productions.
- The productions will also be heading interstate for national tours.
Next year is lining up to be a bold new year of ever evolving collaborations and choreography for The Sydney Dance Company. The official lineup of performances has been released and looks set to celebrate contemporary dance with an empowering theme. Here’s the guide.
Season 1
Season One will launch in June with a trifecta of choreographers Rafael Bonachela, Fran Diaz and Melanie Lane — for an exhilarating list of performances that promise bold, fearless dance titled Engine.
Setting the stage on fire to start is Director Rafael Bonachela’s premiere of The Journey Itself is Home, a new work featuring music by Grammy Award-winning composer Bryce Dessnerand inspired by 17th century Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō.
The second work is the Australian premiere of The Mass Ornament by Berlin-based Spanish choreographer Fran Diaz, considered to be one of Europe’s most exciting rising talents.
Diaz will make his Australian debut, with the Sydney Dance Company with a hypnotic work set to the music of Henryk Górecki.
Third on the program is the return of global sensation Love Lock from Australian/Javanese choreographer Melanie Lane. Love Lock is described as a re-imagined folk dance of the future, showcasing costume design by legendary Australian fashion designer Akira Isogawa.
Season One – Engine
When: June 24 to July 12
Where: The Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House:
Season 2
At the heart of the 40 year celebrations in Season two is Current in an unusually intimate, up-close performance space. Currentinvites audiences into the smaller Neilson Studio to experience the Company dancers up close and celebrate 40 years of dancing at the wharf. The season features new commissions by Australian choreographers Raghav Handa, Jenni Large, and Azzam Mohamed, interwoven into the Australian premiere of Bonachela’s seminal work E2 7SD.
Season two – Current
Where: The Neilson Studio, Sydney Dance Company
When: 3 – 20 September
Additional performances
The fifth edition of INDance opens in April at the Neilson Studio, presenting works by Christopher Gurusamy, Emma Harrison, Jenni Large, and Oli Matheisen. Supported by the Neilson Foundation, INDance continues to present bold works by independent dance makers — a destination connecting exciting ideas with curious audiences.
INDance
Where:Neilson Studio, Sydney Dance Company
When: 30 April – 9 May
A major new initiative, ORBIT launches in November. A partnership between Australian Dance Theatre (South Australia), Dancehouse (Victoria) and Sydney Dance Company, ORBIT is a pilot national touring program that will see four existing independent dance works remounted and performed across three states. Supported by Creative Australia, ORBIT is intended to champion the longevity of exceptional independent dance. Across two weeks of double bills, audiences will experience a vibrant cross-section of Australian choreography and the opportunity to see some of the most compelling and seminal contemporary dance works.
ORBIT
Where: Neilson Studio, Sydney Dance Company
When: November
Artist in residence
Sydney Dance Company and The Balnaves Foundation are delighted to announce The Balnaves Foundation Artist in Residence for 2026: acclaimed dancer and choreographer Jenni Large. As an award-winning choreographer, contemporary dance artist and New Breed alum, Jenni wowed audiences with her 2022 piece S U C K E R.
Where: The Neilson Studio, Sydney Dance Company
When: 3 – 20 September
National tours
Nationally, Sydney Dance Company will tour two main programs across New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, including Bonachela’s Spell, Tra Mi Dinh’s Somewhere between ten and fourteen, Fran Diaz’ The Mass Ornament and Melanie Lane’s Love Lock.
The Company will perform before Melbourne audiences with a captivating program to be announced soon. Following sell-out international seasons through Europe and the US, the Company will again take on a global tour, sharing its distinctly Australian voice before international audiences, sought after by leading festivals and presenters around the world.
Spellbound (Spell, Somewhere between ten and fourteen, Love Lock)
Orange (NSW), 18 February
Tamworth (NSW), 21 February
Engine (The Journey Itself is Home, Mass Ornament, Love Lock)
Wyong (NSW), exclusive preview performance, 19 June
Shoalhaven (NSW), 24 July
Albany (WA), 29 July
Mandurah (WA), 1 August
Perth (WA), 5 – 7 August
Darwin (NT), 12 August
Alice Springs (NT), 15 August
International touring details will be announced in 2026.
More information here
